Millions gather for start of world’s biggest religious festival in India

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The world's largest human gathering has begun in India, with 15 million people taking a holy dip, at the confluence of three sacred rivers on the first day of the Kumbh Mela.  The massive turnout has raised concerns about keeping the holy Ganges River, clean.

Transcript

00:00It is the first day here at the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj in India.

00:08And as you can see, this place is absolutely packed.

00:11Now this is just one of the many entrances to get here.

00:15People are so charged up, proud that they're able to make this once in a 12 year event.

00:21400 million Hindus that are expected to come here over the next 45 days.

00:26Their goal is to bathe in the sacred Ganga River or the Ganges River.

00:30And what makes this place particularly sacred is the confluence of three sacred rivers.

00:36The Ganga, as I said, the mythical Saraswati and the Yamuna.

00:40And their goal is to bathe in these waters and they believe after which that they'll

00:44be cleansed of all their sins and be free from the cycle of rebirth.

00:49Now with these higher than expected numbers, it will be a challenge for authorities to

00:53keep the place clean.

00:55In fact, the Uttar Pradesh government, where this event is happening, has already been

00:59ordered by what's called the National Green Tribunal to make sure that no sewage seeps

01:05into these sacred rivers so that people, when they're bathing, can do it in a safe way.

01:10Now these rivers have in the past been criticised for how dirty they've been.

01:14But for some of the devotees here, their faith is so strong that they don't care.

01:20The Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers are looking clean.

01:25This is just the beginning of this mega festival where people from all walks of life across

01:30India and abroad are able to spend the next 45 days exploring themselves spiritually.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended